Collingwood has been strengthened for Friday's grand final re-match against Geelong by the return of premiership trio Dale Thomas, Darren Jolly and Chris Dawes.

The Magpies also regain forward Alex Fasolo for the MCG blockbuster while Peter Yagmoor, Paul Seedsman and ruckman Cameron Wood have been omitted and Nathan Brown is out with a knee injury.

While the Magpies have assumed favouritism, Geelong get its premiership stars Jimmy Bartel, Matthew Scarlett and Mathew Stokes back from injury and Orren Stephenson plays his first game since round three.

Hawthorn regained defender Josh Gibson for Saturday's game against Fremantle in Launceston.

Jay Van Berlo returns for the Dockers and Adam McPhee is out with a calf complaint.

Jurrah returns

Melbourne forward Liam Jurrah, who faced court on Thursday on assault charges, has been recalled for his first senior game of 2012.

The winless Demons have also recalled ex-skipper Brad Green, Jack Watts and Sam Blease for Saturday's game against Sydney at the SCG.

Sydney named Irishman Tommy Walsh for his AFL debut among three changes with Mike Pyke and Lewis Roberts-Thomson returning.

Richmond did not recall ruck/forward Ty Vickery - who had faced a fitness test for an injured calf - and named an unchanged team for Saturday night's Dreamtime game against Essendon at the MCG as part of the AFL's indigenous-themed round.

Star forward Michael Hurley is back from a hamstring injury for the Bombers.

It's a fundamental human yearning to be a part of something bigger than one's self, and maybe that's what drove my mate Ash to die, far from home, in a bloody foreign war against Islamic State, writes C August Elliott.